How AI is helping healthcare experts deliver smarter, more timely addiction recovery care
Clinics are starting to use AI to help treat addiction, from automating session notes to spotting early relapse signs.
Artificial intelligence is showing up in more places across healthcare and addiction treatment is no exception. What’s changing is how AI is being used not for dramatic promises, but for real and practical help behind the scenes.
Rannon Arch from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation explains that patients in recovery are often in a sensitive and vulnerable space. That’s why he believes people should always know if AI tools are being used in their care, and have a genuine choice to say yes or no. “Patients should be allowed to opt out,” Arch told WCCO Radio, especially when trust is such an important part of the healing process.
How AI is improving healthcare for addiction patients
For the staff at clinics, AI is proving helpful in some everyday ways. This tool takes session notes or records conversations and frees up counsellors to actually focus on people instead of screens. Arch says that means more time for real connection during a session and less time shuffling papers or typing after hours. It also means that staff can learn from AI-driven coaching or data analysis. This way, they can stay focused on providing care that is based on solid evidence, not just guesswork.
One of the most impressive possibilities is using AI to spot problems before they turn into relapses. If changes in someone’s speech, their journal entries, or even their wearable health trackers start to show warning signs, like mood swings or an uptick in cravings, AI models could flag this and alert professionals to check in. The hope is that the right help reaches people at just the right time, sometimes even before they realise they’re struggling.
Of course, Arch is quick to point out that not all uses of AI in addiction are advisable. There are risks when people turn to general chatbots or online platforms that aren’t based on scientific understanding or proven methods. These can miss the nuance and care needed, and Arch encourages caution with tools that promise too much, too quickly. As AI becomes more advanced, it is poised to become a useful sidekick in addiction care. It will help free up staff, help spot risks earlier, and could even personalise support in ways not possible before. But the key is to make sure people always come first and technology remains a tool, not the whole answer, at least according to healthcare professionals.
